Launch party for the Open Face Sandwich, a journal of uncommon prose
featuring performances and readings by :
Kirsten Mitchell & Cole Alexander
Lori Guarisco
Matthew D. Proctor
Zano
the Subliminator
Andy Ditzler
Almeta Carol Tuloss
Erin Wigger (a contributing author)
Bill Taft
K. Tauches & S. Mallon
Steve Seaberg & Lori Guarisco
Jerry Cullum
Steve Westdahl & Mel Clay (contributor) & Christie Vozniak
with pictures of dead animals by Meshakai Wolf and music by Larvae
Audience Size - 75+ people
As an avid eater of food, I really enjoyed the open face sandwich buffet provided by Miss Mary Richardson. Now on to the performances . . .
Since there were so many performances, I will describe my top three:
3 - Zano reading excerpts from my Gernl!!!!!!!!!! by Thomas Birdson
Bad grammar/spelling/attitude were encapsulated in the form of a second grader's journal with this piece. Zano didn't have to do much to make this memorable. I think he played it just right, reading it verbatim, including all misspellings, in the manner of an excited eigth-year-old. I want to dig up my old writings from then to see if I can get published too.
2 - Steven Westdahl & Mel Clay & Christie Vozniak with Celine from Hell: The Exclusive Interview by Mel Clay
Mel Clay flew in from his home in San Francisco to perform his a reading of his work, an imaginary interview with Louis-Ferdinand Celine at his residence in hell. Clay interviewed an image of Celine projected on a screen on stage. I get the distinct impression Celine was French from the dialog. Anyway, it seems that Clay was pleading for Celine to place some sort of context or meaning into his actions and writings with no effect as Celine yells and curses until the very end, when he calms, emerges from the flames, and carries on rational conversation.
1 - Bill Taft performing a Sleeping Bag Salesman Makes his Pitch by Nathan Hill
Whenever I can see Bill Taft perform, I go, and he surely didn't disappoint. Wrapping himself in a sleeping bag (an obvious prop) he reads Hill's work, a sales pitch for sleeping bags. The result was one of the funniest and attention-grabbing performances I've ever been lucky enough to see. The piece itself was funny in its own right, describing the importance of sleeping bags to history, ancient cultures, and world exploration. The pitch was just so slick, and Bill added his own flair to it, throwing in some improv seamlessly.
